Skin brightening continues to be a trend gaining traction in Western beauty markets. Another transplant from products that have long been popular in the East, skin brightening products help even skin tone and highlight skin.

Uduslivaia writes, “In Canada, immigration continues to be skewed towards the countries of Asia Pacific, fueled by source markets like China and the Philippines. In fact, official sources indicate that Canada issued a record number of visas to Chinese nationals in 2012, with the total number of new permanent residents standing at 32,990 that year.

“Whitening is an important feature of facial care products in the Philippines and China across all age groups. In the Philippines, in 2012, facial moisturizers with whitening benefits accounted for a 65% value share of all moisturizers, while facial cleansers with whitening benefits accounted for a 47% share of overall sales of cleansers. In China, skin whitening products held a 37% value share of face masks in 2012, the highest penetration in any category that year.

“Although skin brightening and dark spot correction features have been increasingly the focus of product development from many mainstream brands in Canada, these do not satisfy demand from the growing number of women from Asia. The emphasis on anti-aging excludes a large number of younger consumers, with product efficiency also questioned. This has resulted in Asian consumers turning to ethnic retailers, which offer a wide range of imported brands to meet demand.

“Ethnic retailers in Canada carry a large number of imported brands and products with whitening benefits. For example, the T & T Supermarket chain (operated by Loblaws Cos) dedicates significant shelf space to such products. T & T’s best-selling products include My Beauty Diary branded masks, including those with whitening/brightening benefits. The brand is marketed by the Taiwanese-based President Pharmaceutical Corp and is one of the top-selling mask brands in Taiwan. At T & T supermarkets in Canada, masks come mostly in packs of 10 and retail for C$17.99. The range with skin whitening/brightening benefits includes Black Pearl (hydrating and whitening) and Red Wine (anti-oxidation, brightening, firming). The brand also includes products with anti-ageing, oil control, pore constringing and other benefits.